Ossan for rent, or Why the Japanese buy friends (4 photos)
Many people believe that life is just beginning at forty. This is likely true, but Japan has its own viewpoint. In Japan, those who have crossed this age limit are considered "middle-aged" and have a special term for them: "ossan." This word isn't used in a completely positive sense, as it's believed that middle-aged people are boring. 
Entrepreneur Nishimoto Takanobu, having reached the age of "ossan," experienced firsthand the somewhat dismissive attitude of young people. But he decided he wouldn't put up with it and would shatter a centuries-old stereotype. In 2013, Takanobu created the unusual service "Ossan for Rent," proving that communicating with people over 40 is not only not boring, but actually beneficial. 
The entrepreneur demonstrated that the company of ossans can be so beneficial that people are willing to pay for it. For just $10 an hour, you can hire an ossan for socializing, shopping, dining, a park, or an art gallery. The service rules are very simple: employees are prohibited from pushing goods and services, making explicit offers, or touching them in a sexually suggestive manner.
The service is in high demand. Clients hire ossan for a variety of reasons. Some need to vent or cry on someone's shoulder, others seek advice from an older colleague, others want to show off a new car or apartment, and still others are starting a new business and want to get a stranger's opinion. 
There are also some unusual requests. For example, Ossans are sometimes hired to carry groceries home, wait in line for movie tickets, or go to the store to buy a new iPhone. Among the most unusual cases, Nishimito likes to recall is the time a woman hired him to help her choose an outfit for a special occasion. The elderly Japanese woman was planning to meet her son, whom she hadn't seen for 35 years.
The owner of this unusual business doesn't hide the fact that it generates almost no income, but his goal isn't to make a profit. Nishimito Takanobu believes the service helps the ossan themselves, making them feel needed and valued. In Japan, where loneliness is a pressing issue, such work can be vital. 
Nishimito enjoys his work
Business owner Nishimito enjoys fulfilling orders himself. He says it's a great way for him to stop feeling like an overgrown eccentric. There are many like him—the "Ossan for Rent" service brings together several hundred men and women over forty who fulfill over 10,000 orders annually.
But "rent-a-friend" isn't the strangest service of its kind in the Land of the Rising Sun. There's a truly unusual service called "rent-a-grumpy"—where young people temporarily hire a grumpy old man to teach them a lesson.
